


Freakin' Out on the Interstate

by ikeameatballs



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, M/M, Slow Burn, and life is a fucking nightmare, because we're delta airlines, bed sharing, in which the pandemic is not a thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29833878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikeameatballs/pseuds/ikeameatballs
Summary: With Sunset Curve's first national tour complete, all the band has left to do is make it on a plane home to L.A. Alex, however, misses the flight by a single minute, leaving him stranded thousands of miles away from home. When a handsome stranger named Willie offers him a ride back home, Alex says yes in spite of every stranger-danger warning he's ever heard. He knows this trip is going to change his life; whether it's for better or for worse, he has yet to find out.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 92





	1. NASHVILLE

_“Last call for boarding for Flight DL3724 for Los Angeles, please proceed to gate B4.”_

Alex felt his stomach drop to the floor, his whole body going cold with dread.

“Shit!”

His sneakers squeaked against the linoleum of the airport floor, the blood pounding in his ears in time with his feet hitting the ground. He counted the gates as he raced by them, willing his body to move faster as he inched towards his gate:

_B13. B12. B11._

He had no clue how far he had wandered down the terminal. Movement always helped him get the anxiety out, which had built up tremendously pre-flight. Alex never was a fan of flying: the incredible heights, the suffocating closeness of the seats, and the inability to control his surroundings was the perfect recipe for a panic attack. In his attempt to quell one panic, it seems that Alex had found himself in the middle of another.

_B10. B9. B8._

The band’s flight out of Nashville had been delayed for an hour. Alex had left his friends slumped in the hard plastic seats of the terminal. The exhaustion of their first cross-country tour had finally caught up to them: Luke had fallen asleep on Reggie’s shoulder, mouth slightly agape while his support watched the planes taxi on the tarmac. Bobby had been laying on the ground at their feet, numbing his boredom with the bright colors and flashy animations of Candy Crush. Alex had told them he’d be back soon, that he just needed to get his energy out before he was confined to an economy-class seat. He wondered if they had boarded without him.

_B7. B6. B5._

He felt like he was running through molasses. No matter how fast he moved his legs, he couldn’t seem to move forward, as if the gate was sliding further away with every step he took. His lungs burned with every inhale, although he couldn’t seem to get enough air. After what felt like an eternity of running on a treadmill, the gate finally came into his view:

_B4._

“I’m here! I’m here!” Alex wheezed, steadying himself on the check-in kiosk as he doubled over. He took two deep breaths before straightening up to look the gate agent in the eye. “I’m here to board the flight to L.A.”

“I’m sorry sir, but the doors have closed,” the agent said, her voice exasperated, “I can’t let you board the plane.”

Alex’s brain shut down as she spoke. This could not be happening to him. “Wh-what? No, I have a boarding pass, I was just here, I need to get on this flight —“

“I’m sorry sir, but the doors are closed,” the agent repeated. Her tired eyes moved from her computer screen to meet his panicked stare, forceful and unmoving. “I called for last call boarding, you weren’t here. No one else is allowed on the plane.”

“B-but the flight was delayed!” Alex exclaimed, trying to make sense of what was happening. “I thought I had more time!”

“Sir, I’m sorry, but you cannot board this plane.” The agent’s voice had become louder and more stern, as if at any moment she would call over security and have Alex detained. “Please make your way to the Delta Help Desk to re-book your flight. Have a nice day.”

Alex stepped back from the kiosk. Desperate pleas welled up in his throat, but he knew better than to push the gate agent. His mind raced as he stumbled backwards, running in circles as he tried to process what was happening. He turned back to the waiting area and searched for any sign of his friends. _Maybe they didn’t board when they realized I wasn’t there,_ he thought. Any hope that his friends had stayed behind for him was squashed when he realized there was no trace of them: they were on the plane that was now taxi-ing to the runway for takeoff. Alex’s breath hitched in his chest as he blinked away the tears that welled in his eyes. He had been left behind, stranded on the wrong coast, lost in an airport that seemed more like a cavernous maze.

No one had waited for him.

He wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the ground and let the panic overtake him. For the first time in all his eighteen years of life, he was entirely on his own. For as long as he could remember, every time he was faced with a problem, he always had his friends by his side. Every sticky situation he had gotten in, Luke, Reggie and Bobby had been stuck right there with him. Now, he’d have to pull himself out of this mess entirely on his own merit.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, wiping the tears from his cheeks. There would be time to spiral later; right now, he needed a plan. He needed action. Alex turned from the empty waiting area and walked back out into the terminal. A line had started to grow down the hallway, starting at a sign that read “Delta Airlines.” He sighed, bracing himself for a long wait, and made his way to the back of the line.

* * *

It had been a little over four hours since Alex had missed his flight home. Three of those hours had been spent in line, slowly inching his way to the Delta Help Desk, which he was starting to believe was an oxymoron. The past hour, he had been sitting in a Denny’s just outside the airport, pushing cold scrambled eggs around his plate. His waitress had come to check on him three times since she’d given him his food.

Alex’s thoughts traced circles in his skull as he ruminated over the events of the morning. Once he had joined the back of the line, he’d finally had enough sense to check his phone. He had 54 missed texts and 17 missed calls from his bandmates, each more increasingly distressed than the last. He felt a little better knowing that his friends were actually worried about him, but it was overtaken by the hurt that none of them had come to find him. Guilt rose up in his chest at the thought; he knew it wasn’t fair blame them for his mistake. If they had all come looking for him, then they all would have missed the flight, and they all would have been stranded. As much as Alex wished he was facing this disaster with his best friends by his side, he knew it was better that he didn’t drag his friends down with him.

When he had reached hour two in line (and had only moved about four feet forward), he had finally received a call. Luke’s harried voice rattled his eardrums as he answered the phone.

“Dude, where are you?!” Luke shouted, an edge in his voice, “What happened?! Why weren’t you on the plane?!”

“I totally screwed up,” Alex sighed, “I wandered off too far when I was trying to calm my nerves. When I finally heard the last call, I ran back as fast as I could, but I didn’t make it in time.”

“Shit, dude, we’re so sorry,” Reggie chimed in. Apparently, Alex was on speaker phone. “We should have come looking for you!”

“It’s okay,” Alex said, his hurt soothed by the apology. “I’m the one who messed up. If you guys came looking for me, we would have all missed the plane.”

“But at least you wouldn’t have been alone,” Bobby chimed in, “God, we’re so sorry Alex.”

“Where are you now?” Luke asked, still frantic.

“Currently in line for the Delta Help Desk. I’m going to see if I can book another flight home.” The person at the front of the line peeled off, having been sufficiently “helped.” Alex shuffled forward a few inches.

“Okay, keep us updated,” Luke said, “please let us know if we can do anything to help.”

“Will do,” Alex replied. “Call me when you guys get back to L.A., okay?”

“We will,” Reggie answered. “We’re so, so sorry Alex.”

“It’s okay, guys. I’ll talk to you soon.” Alex hung up before any of the guys could continue talking. He could already feel the tears welling up in his eyes; any moment longer on the phone, and the dam would break.

It was another hour of shuffling and sniffling before he had reached the light at the end of the tunnel. It didn’t take long for that light to get snuffed out by another apathetic airline employee.

“All of our economy seats on flights to Los Angeles are booked for the next week,” the man had told him. “You can either purchase a ticket for next week, purchase a first class ticket for an earlier flight, or wait around and see if there’s any no-shows on the next couple of flights.”

If Alex thought he was panicking before, he was certainly panicking now. There was no way he could afford a first class ticket; even though his band was taking off, they had not quite reached the level of fame that guaranteed a steady income. He could take his chances waiting around for a no-show, but he couldn’t stand the thought of spending one more second stuck in this airport. He stammered a string of apologies to the Delta employee before staggering off, searching for the exit.

The memories of these events replayed over and over in Alex’s head as he sat in the pleather booth. His stomach was so tied in knots that he couldn’t force himself to eat, even though he knew he was hungry. He was so busy playing out every possible option to get home, he didn’t notice that someone had stopped right beside his table.

“Hey, man, are you okay?”

Alex dropped his fork, startled. He looked up to see a young man about his age staring at him, his brown eyes flooded with genuine concern.

“Uh, yeah,” Alex stammered, wiping his cheeks with his palms. He thought he had cried all his tears in the airport, but there was more left in him. “I’m just having a… minor life crisis.”

The young man slipped into the booth, uninvited. Normally, Alex would have freaked out at the idea of a stranger approaching him. After everything he’d just been through, though, he didn’t mind to have the company.

“Well, what kind of life crisis?” the young man asked, tucking a strand of his long, dark hair behind his ear. “Maybe I can help.”

“Well, unless you have $2000 for a first-class ticket to Los Angeles, I don’t think there’s much you can do,” Alex said, giving a half-hearted chuckle. He sighed and pushed his bangs out of his eyes, trying to find a place to start. “I’m in a band. We just finished our first cross-country tour, opening for Hippo Campus. We were supposed to fly back home early this morning, but our flight got delayed for an hour. I decided to walk around the terminal to calm my nerves, but I wandered off too far and didn’t notice the time. When they called for last-call boarding, I ran back but… I missed it. All of my bandmates made it on the flight, but I didn’t. So now I’m stranded here alone for at least a week, unless I can come up with enough money to buy a first-class ticket home.”

“Damn,” the young man said softly, leaning forward onto the table. “That really sucks, man. I’m sorry.” The way he looked at Alex felt like he was giving him a hug. “But Hippo Campus, man that’s huge! That must’ve been amazing!”

“Yeah, it was,” Alex said, lightening up a little. “They were such great guys, especially since it was our first big tour.” As he relived the memories from the past month of adventures, it suddenly dawned on him that he never actually introduced himself. “Oh, I’m Alex, by the way.”

“Willie,” the young man replied, offering his hand for Alex to shake. “Nice to meet you.” Alex took Willie’s hand; his skin was soft and his grip was gentle. He almost didn’t want to let go, but he was suddenly aware of how sweaty his own palms were.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Alex said, wiping his hands on his jeans. Willie’s eyes gave Alex a once over. It was subtle, but he noticed it, his cheeks suddenly becoming hot. He looked away and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

“So, this band you’re in,” Willie said, shifting back in his seat, “what’s it called?”

“Sunset Curve,” Alex answered. “I play drums.”

“That’s awesome!” Willie exclaimed. A warm smile burst onto his face; it was so contagious that Alex had no choice but to smile, too.

“Yeah, it’s been a wild ride,” Alex said. “This has always been my dream, and doing it with my best friends makes it even more incredible. They’re like my family.” His voice trailed off, thinking of his friends on a plane without him. He cleared his throat and tried to shake the thought from his mind; he was tired of crying about things that he couldn’t change. “Do you play anything?” he asked, restarting the conversation.

“Oh, no, I have no musical ability whatsoever. I love listening to music, but singing in the car is about as much as I can claim for talent.” Willie smiled, biting his bottom lip slightly. “Maybe you can teach me drums one day.”

Alex choked on his glass of water. “Uh, yeah, definitely!” he sputtered, trying not to dribble on himself. “Although I should warn you, I don’t know if I’m the best teacher. I tried to teach Luke, our guitarist, once, and he broke one of my sticks in half.”

Willie’s warm laugh burst forth from his chest, bouncing off the walls of the second-rate chain diner. “Okay, I don’t think that’s a reflection on your teaching skills as much as it is a reflection of your guitarist’s patience.” Alex had no choice but to laugh, too. Without even knowing who Luke was, he somehow managed to accurately pin down what happened during that fateful lesson. If he believed in past lives, he might’ve thought he knew Willie in one.

“How about this,” Willie said, snapping Alex back from his thoughts, “I’ll trade you an all-exclusive, V.I.P. skateboarding lesson for one of your drum lessons.”

“Deal,” Alex said. “I always wanted to learn how to skateboard, but I have the balance of a baby giraffe. I don’t think I’d last very long.”

“Well you’re in luck, I just so happen to be the best skateboarding instructor in these United States.” Willie gave a smooth wink, and Alex felt his stomach tie itself into another knot.

“Wait, you mean I’m having a conversation with _the_ Tony Hawk?” Alex asked, looking around the restaurant as if papparazzi might chase them down any minute.

Willie exploded into laughter again. Alex’s heart fluttered at the sound, knowing that he was the one who caused it. He wanted to record it and play it over and over again.

“You kill me, dude,” Willie said, catching his breath, unaware that Alex was doing the same. A comfortable silence settled between them as they studied each other. Alex couldn’t deny that Willie was beautiful, with sharp cheekbones and kind, gentle eyes. He allowed his gaze to linger on his face for a moment longer before pulling himself away, rhythmically tapping his fingers against the table.

“So, uh listen,” Willie started, “about your minor life crisis.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I don’t have $2000, but I might have a way I can help.” Willie had a mischievous look in his eye, the corner of his eyebrow raised slightly.

“What do you mean you can help?” Alex asked, incredulous.

“I’m actually headed to Los Angeles myself,” Willie explained, “I could drive you with me if you want.”

“You could?” Alex replied, his chest swelling with hope for the first time all morning. His common sense quickly squashed that feeling under its boot. “But, you’re a total stranger. What if you’re, like, a murderer or something, and this is just you luring me to my death? And then I’ll end up on Investigation Discovery five years from now, and no one will know what happened to me?”

Willie laughed at Alex’s extreme scenario. Despite all the possible worst-case scenarios piling up in Alex’s head, his laugh filled him with warmth.

“Okay, yeah, this does sound a little sketchy,” Willie admitted, “but I promise I’m not a murderer.” He shifted in his seat, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. “Here,” he said, laying his driver’s license on the table in front of Alex. “Here’s my I.D. I promise I’m a real person, you can look me up and everything.”

Alex picked up the New York I.D. and studied it. The picture definitely matched the person sitting in front of him. He took his time looking at it; Willie even managed to make a DMV mugshot look like a work of art. His eyes drifted over to read Willie’s name, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

“William… Williamson?”

“Yeah,” Willie shrugged, “my mom always said she wanted to name her first son after her brother. Guess she didn’t count on her married name being Williamson.”

Alex looked up from the I.D. and gave Willie a small smile. His eyes returned to the card, searching for his birthdate: December 4th, 2001. He was only nine months older than Alex.

“So you’re 19,” Alex said, looking up again. “Good to know I’m not being captured by a forty-year-old man with a severe case of baby-face.”

Willie laughed once more, loud and genuine. The warmth returned to Alex’s chest and crept its way up to his cheeks. He looked back down to quell his embarrassment.

Alex held the card between his thumb and his index finger, squeezing the sides gently. He had seen a bouncer do this to Luke once, who had tried to use a fake I.D. to get into a 21+ show at the Orpheum. When the card didn’t bend like Luke’s fake had, he returned it to Willie, satisfied.

“Alright, William Williamson, I believe you,” he said, folding his hands and placing them on the table. “When do you want to leave?”

“Well, unless you’re going to finish those scrambled eggs, I’m good to go now,” Willie answered, laying $30 in cash on the table.

“Woah, you don’t have to do that,” Alex protested, trying to shove the bills back to him. Willie trapped it with his hand, his fingers landing on top of Alex’s. He tried to ignore the shiver that went down his spine.

“Don’t worry about it,” Willie said, “you’ve had an awful day. It’s the least I could do for a new friend.”

 _Friend._ Alex felt his muscles relax slightly; he really needed a friend right now.

Willie slid out of the booth in one smooth motion, holding out his hand once more. “You ready to rock and roll?”

Alex grabbed his backpack with his right hand, and grabbed Willie’s hand with his left, who pulled him off the seat with more strength than he was expecting. Shrugging the strap of his bag onto his shoulder, he committed to what would either be a classic story of stranger-danger, or the greatest adventure of his life.

“Let’s hit it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading! This is my first honest-to-god fanfic I've ever written, and I'm very excited to be sharing it with y'all. I'm super excited for what I have in store for this story, and I hope y'all stick around for it. Please feel free to comment your thoughts, what you like/don't like, anything! I'm always looking for ways to become a better writer.
> 
> Also writing the year "2001" makes me feel so old even though I was literally born in 1998 I hate it here
> 
> Also also yes I did pick Delta Airlines because of John Mulaney and I won't apologize for it
> 
> xoxo, mo


	2. MEMPHIS

Willie led Alex to the parking lot, clicking the key fob to unlock a teal green 1995 Toyota Corolla. The car had definitely seen better days; a sea of small scratches covered each side, and the right corner of the rear bumper looked like a crater. If Alex had dragged his finger along the doors, he was sure it’d come back with a layer of dust. However, despite its age and battle scars, the car was holding itself together well. Alex didn’t know how far Willie had traveled to get to Nashville, but if it got him here in one piece, he could only hope that it would get him home alive, too.

“Meet Bertha,” Willie said, looking at the car like a parent looks at their newborn. “She’s an old gal, but we’ve had some good memories together.” Willie stepped in front of Alex to open the right side rear door. “You can just throw your backpack in the back,” he said before walking around to slide into the driver’s seat. Alex slowly slid the backpack off his shoulder, peeking his head into the car first. He expected the backseat to look like the site of a landfill explosion — that’s definitely what Alex’s car looked like — but instead found it to be almost empty. Only three items sat on the bench: an overstuffed duffle bag, a well-worn skateboard, and a cracked helmet. Not wanting to look like he was snooping, Alex quickly pulled his head out of the car, adding his backpack to the pile before shutting the door. He slid into the passenger’s seat, buckling himself in and avoiding Willie’s gaze.

“And away we go,” Willie said, turning the ignition. The engine sputtered to life, groaning like a teenager woken up early on a Saturday morning. Alex flinched at the sound, thinking that the overworked engine was going to explode. However, no such blazing inferno roared from the hood, only ripples of heat from the mid-morning Southern sun. Once the engine had settled into a low rumble, Willie backed out of the parking spot, and headed towards the wild blue yonder. There was no going back for Alex now.

For fifteen minutes, the two drove in total silence. Alex stared rigidly ahead, counting the mile markers as they flew by. The fact that Willie was a total stranger was starting to settle in his brain; what should he say to him? What _could_ he even say to him? He could ask him a question, try to get the ball rolling, but what would he even ask that didn’t sound stupid? He knew he would have to say something eventually. They were going to be stuck together for almost four days, they would have to talk at some point. The burden of starting the talking hung around his neck like a lead weight.

“So,” Willie started, breaking the silence. Alex let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. It was like Willie had read his mind and cut the weight free from his throat. “I never actually got your full name. You know, since you know mine.”

“Oh,” Alex said, his voice cracking a bit, “it’s Mercer. Alex Mercer.”

“Alex Mercer,” Willie repeated, smiling. “That’s a nice name. It sounds good together.”

“Thanks, my parents gave it to me,” Alex said without thought. He stopped breathing when he realized what he just said. _“My parents gave it to me?”_ he thought, _Christ, what the hell was that?_ Willie’s laugh cut off his thoughts before he could stammer out an awkward apology. He wasn’t laughing _at_ him, but rather laughing as if he had told the greatest joke he had ever heard. Alex was silently thankful that Willie thought he was funnier than he was.

“So, Mr. Mercer, tell me more about this band of yours.”

“Well, how much do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

“Everything?” Alex repeated. He paused for a moment, trying to find a place to start. “Well, there’s four of us. There’s Luke, our lead singer and guitarist, who’s an amazing writer and has written the lyrics for all of our songs. Then there’s Reggie, who plays bass. He’s sort of like the human form of a golden retriever, but man he’s an incredible player. And there’s Bobby, our rhythm guitarist. He think’s he’s a lot cooler than he is, but he’s honestly a softie once you get to know him.” Alex smiled to himself thinking about his friends, about how lucky he was to have them. He missed them deeply, even though it’d only be four days before he saw them again. After living on top of each other for a month, traveling across the country together, not having them around left an emptiness inside him.

“And then there’s you,” Willie said, interrupting Alex’s reminiscing.

“Yes, then there’s me,” Alex said, “holding the whole shitshow together.” Willie laughed once more, and Alex followed suit. Laughter came easy with Willie.

“Oh definitely, a band is nothing without a solid drummer keeping everything together,” Willie said. Alex could’ve sworn he had winked at him. _Maybe there was just something in his eye_ , he thought. “How long have y’all been playing together?”

“Well, we started the band when we were 14, but we’ve been best friends since we were 8,” Alex said. “They’re like my brothers, I couldn’t ever imagine playing with anyone else.”

“That’s so awesome that you guys are all so close,” Willie said, glancing away from the road to smile at Alex. “And you guys are taking off, too. Touring with Hippo Campus is such a huge deal.”

“Oh yeah, this tour has been everything I could’ve ever dreamed of,” Alex replied, “it almost doesn’t feel real.”

“I’m sure, I bet it’s overwhelming a bit,” Willie said, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “I’m sure it’s weird trying to adjust to having fans that follow you everywhere and know all your songs by heart.”

“Yeah, that’s been the hardest part to get used to,” Alex said. “Right after we had played our first big show at the Orpheum, Reggie wouldn’t stop talking about all the girls that would come up and flirt with him. Honestly, he still doesn’t stop talking about it. Luke used to be like that a bit, too, but ever since he started dating his girlfriend Julie, he’s been head-over-heels.”

“That’s sweet,” Willie commented, glancing in the rearview mirror. “And I’m sure you get your fair share of girls flirting with you, too.”

“Oh, uh,” Alex stammered, the blood rushing to his face. “Actually, uh, girls aren’t really my… thing.”

Alex hated this part the most about meeting new people: having to come out again and again. He never knew whether they would accept him with open arms, or condescend to him about some bullshit in the Bible, or worse. Alex didn’t like to think about the _worse._ From what he knew about Willie already, Alex thought he seemed like a pretty accepting guy, but how much could he really know about a stranger? What if now that he had told him he was gay, he'd kick him out on the side of the road? He clenched his hands into fists, bracing for the impact of the unthinkable worst.

“Oh, yeah I get what you mean,” Willie said, unfazed. Alex relaxed his hands and exhaled slowly, relief washing over him. He looked over at Willie and watched him tuck a strand of hair behind his right ear, exposing a small, dangling earring that Alex hadn’t noticed before. _Wasn’t there something about having a single earring being a flag for being gay?_ Alex thought. _Is that a thing people even still do? Which ear even_ is _the gay ear, anyways?_

“So no special guys in your life, either?” Willie asked, pulling Alex from his runaway train of thought.

“Oh, uh, no,” Alex stammered, “Nope. Definitely single.” Alex didn’t know if Willie was asking him this just to make small talk, or for some other reason, but he could feel his hopes climbing upward. An impulsiveness that Alex didn’t even know he was capable of overtook him as he opened his mouth: “What about you?”

“Same as you,” Willie responded, not taking his eyes off the road. The hope skyrocketed and exploded in Alex’s chest. However, he didn’t know to what extent Willie’s answer applied; did he mean “same” only in that he was single like Alex? Or did that further extend to Willie being interested in guys? Whatever courage he previously wielded had quickly slipped out of his grip, and he couldn’t bring himself to ask further.

Alex suddenly noticed the silence between them had gotten too long, and wracked his brain for something to say. “So, what are you going to L.A. for?” he finally asked.

Willie’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Oh, I just needed to get out of New York,” he said, looking back to the mirror for a long moment. “I figured L.A. would be more my speed.”

“Oh, gotchya,” Alex said, retreating a bit. He didn’t want to push Willie too far, but he still wanted to know more about his new friend. “What made you want to leave New York?” he asked, testing the waters with another question.

“I… just realized it was more trouble than it was worth,” Willie replied, his eyes glued to the road. An awkward silence hung in the air; Alex cursed himself for overstepping.

“Hey, did you want to put on some music?” Willie asked, breaking the tension with his previous jovial demeanor. “Unfortunately, Bertha only plays CDs, but I’ve got a pretty decent collection in the glovebox if you wanna pick one.”

“Actually, I have something,” Alex said. He unbuckled himself and twisted around in the seat, digging through his backpack with one hand until his fingertips felt the corner of a CD case. He pulled himself back into the seat and popped open the case, sliding the disc into the port. The car filled with the opening chords of “Now or Never.”

“Is this your band?” Willie shouted over the music.

“Yeah,” Alex called back.

“It’s awesome!” Willie exclaimed, nodding his head to the beat. Alex allowed himself a moment to watch him as he moved to the music. His hair bounced around his shoulders, the faint scent of coconut shampoo drifting by on a breeze with each swish. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, joyful and unrestrained. A glow radiated about him, filling the space with a gentle warmth that cut through the chill of the air conditioning. Everything about Willie was honest and unabashed; he was the most beautiful person Alex had ever seen.

“You’re definitely going to have to get me into one of your shows, man,” Willie said, jostling Alex from his daydream.

“I think something could be arranged,” Alex smirked. The tension in his muscles started to subside as he surrendered himself to the music, bobbing his head in time with Willie’s as the road raced beneath them. He couldn’t help but daydream about this hypothetical show, how he’d meet Willie’s eyes in the crowd, maybe throw him a drumstick at the end of the show. The logical side of his brain tried to wipe the scene from his mind, to remind him of the cold, hard facts of reality. However, as long as Alex was here, dancing along to the music with Willie, he would drown the voice in the sound.

* * *

The Tennessee sun had rolled into mid-afternoon when the pair had hit Memphis, the late-summer air sticky and sweltering. Alex’s legs had been itching to move, electrified with the energy that he couldn’t shake out by tapping his foot. Even with Willie’s endless stories and off-key singing to occupy his mind, Alex and confined spaces were never going to be friends. He closed his eyes as he let the sun soak into his skin, rolling his neck to crack the bones that had grown stiff.

Suddenly, Alex felt a vibration against his leg. Upon retrieving his phone from his pocket, he swiped his thumb across the screen to answer a call from Luke; his friends seemed to have a sixth sense for timing.

“Hello?” Alex said into the receiver.

“Hey, dude,” Luke said, his voice cutting through the muffle of airport traffic bleeding through the line. “How are you doing?”

“Uh, better than this morning,” he said, looking around for Willie. He found him a few feet away, looking through the window of an antique store; he turned his back and leaned against the side of the car.

“Good to hear it, man,” Luke replied. “You find a way to get home yet?”

“Uh, yeah,” Alex started, “but you’re gonna think I’m insane.”

“Oh, we already do,” Reggie interrupted. Alex quickly realized he was on speaker phone again.

“Ha, ha,” Alex said, rolling his eyes. “But anyways, I managed to find a ride.”

“What do you mean?” Bobby asked, “How did you manage that?”

“Well, the Delta assholes told me there were no seats on any flights to L.A. for the next week, so I went and sat at a Denny’s to try and figure out what to do. And this, uh, guy came up to me and asked me what was wrong, and he said he’s actually headed to L.A. and would give me a ride.”

“Alex, are you _stupid?_ ” Luke asked, his voice sharp. “You got into a car with a total stranger? You know you’re asking to get killed, right?”

“I know, I know,” Alex sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It sounds so sketchy, I know. But I looked at his I.D. and he is who he says he is.”

“What’s his name?” Bobby asked.

“Willie… Williamson.” Alex knew this was sounding worse with every layer he pulled back.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Luke asked, “Dude, that is not a real name.”

“I know it sounds stupid!” Alex pleaded, “But I promise, he’s not a creep. He’s our age, and he seems really cool. Plus, he likes our demo.” He knew that would win Luke over.

“Oh my God,” Luke sighed, pausing for a long moment. “Okay, fine, fine. But share your location with us, okay? That way we know where to find you if something happens.”

“Okay, that’s fair,” Alex conceded, “I’ll do that right now.”

“Thank you,” Luke said, the edge in his voice subsiding. “Be safe, okay?”

“And find me a cool snow globe somewhere!” Reggie shouted. At least Alex could take comfort in the knowledge that some things would never change.

“Yes, I’ll be safe,” Alex said, “but no promises on the snow globe.” Reggie whined on the other end while Bobby told him to shut up.

“Okay,” Luke said. “We love you, Alex.”

“Love you guys, too,” Alex said, hanging up the phone. Letting out a long exhale, he turned on his heel to find Willie. He found him still by the window of the antique store, but something was off: he was staring off down towards the end of the street, his hands clenched into tight fists. As Alex walked towards him, he could’ve sworn he saw something move into an alleyway down the street.

“Hey, man, you okay?” he asked, placing a hand on Willie’s shoulder. His new friend jumped out of his skin at his touch, his eyes wide and startled as he turned to see who had come up behind him. Alex felt him relax under his hand as recognition washed away the fear in his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Willie said, looking over his shoulder quickly. “Just thought I saw someone that looked like someone I know.” Alex withdrew his hand and shoved it into his pockets, eyeing Willie with concern. “Did your friends make it home okay?” he asked, flipping a switch to his usual persona.

“Yeah, yeah, they just landed back in L.A.,” Alex said, “they think I’m currently on the road with a serial killer.”

“Well, you just might be,” Willie said, lowering his chin and widening his eyes. _Oh, shit,_ Alex thought, panic flooding through him, _is he actually serious? Is this where it ends?_

Suddenly, Willie broke character, his bright laugh melting the ice in Alex’s veins. “Dude, I’m just kidding,” he said as he pushed Alex playfully. “You need to learn how to relax!”

“Oh thank God,” Alex breathed, his chest collapsing as he released his breath. “Yeah, relaxing has never been my best skill.”

“Hmmm,” Willie hummed, slowly turning to survey his surroundings like a periscope. “I think I have an idea of something that might help.”

He gave Alex no time to protest. He grabbed his hand and took off running, dragging Alex down the last stretch of Beale Street before stopping at the top of a grassy hill, murky water racing below them.

“You’re going to throw me in the Mississippi River?” Alex asked, his chest heaving from their quick dash down the street. The river was dark and opaque; any light that hit it immediately sank into the muddy brown water to drown. He could only imagine what horrors lurked beneath the surface.

“Not my original plan, but if you’re into that...” Willie said, trailing off as he dropped to the ground. He lay on his stomach in the grass, craning his head up to look at Alex.

“What are you doing?” Alex laughed.

“Get down on the ground!” Willie exclaimed. Alex obliged, lowering himself gently onto the grass. He was acutely aware of how close his face was to Willie’s.

“We,” Willie smirked, “are rolling down this hill.”

“What?” Alex asked, confused. Willie didn’t bother to explain.

“Race you to the bottom!” he shouted, launching himself sideways to tumble down the hill.

“Hey, no fair!” Alex called after him. He swallowed his pride and followed suit, letting gravity guide him downward. His body bounced with each ninety-degree turn, his eyes crossing themselves as the world flew past him and circled back again. The ground slowly sloped upward beneath him and he rolled to a gentle stop, flopping onto his back. Tears streamed down his face as he fell into hysterics, his stomach bouncing with each laugh that escaped his chest.

“Beat ya,” Willie said, his head blocking the sun from Alex’s vision as he leaned over him.

“That was definitely not fair,” Alex said, sitting up to face Willie. “You totally cheated!”

“Okay, maybe, but that was fun, right?” Willie smiled.

“Yes, your idea worked,” Alex admitted, smiling in return. Willie’s tanned hand reached out and plucked a piece of grass from Alex’s blonde hair, his knuckles grazing his cheek on the way down. Goosebumps rose on Alex’s arm from the gentle touch, a chill passing through his body in spite of the thick summer air.

“Wanna go again?” Willie suggested, mischief in his eyes.

“Only if you promise not to cheat this time,” Alex replied.

“Okay, okay, I promise,” Willie conceded, holding up his hands.

“Best two out of three, loser buys lunch?”

“You’re on, dude.”

Alex clambered back up the hill, finding himself unburdened by a weight that he didn’t know he was carrying. As he lay back down on the ground at the imaginary starting line, he embraced the feeling of the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. If Willie made joy this simple, this easy, then Alex never wanted to leave his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy SHIT. Y'all. I'm so soft.  
> Thank you all SO MUCH for all the comments, kudos, and love! I seriously did not think this fic was going to be read by anybody, and WOW I was wrong! Y'all are so incredible, thank you a million times. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to seeing your thoughts!
> 
> Also, I'm super inspired by music, and I use playlists to help me set the mood/inspire plot points/etc. So, if you wanna listen along to the playlist I made for this fic, you can do so [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6kGWTeSS1auoLutr6atNRi?si=8bdr-9fYTGCyevBHNLH6MQ)! 
> 
> Last thing, if you wanna drop by and say hi, send me a meme, or just scream in my inbox, you can find me on Tumblr at @iti-iskuna! Heads up, I don't believe in the concept of side blogs, so it's not just JATP content on there. But I think I reblog some fun stuff so you should follow me anyways. (yes my blog is SFW!)
> 
> That's it for me, thank you all so much again, have a wonderful day!
> 
> xoxo, mo


	3. LONOKE

Alex had never seen a Southern sunset before. Having been born and raised in L.A., he had seen his fair share of beach sunsets, always through a haze of smog that blanketed the city. They had become part of the background of his life, simple ways to mark time at best and a nuisance on the highway at worst. Now that his whirlwind life had been forced to pause, he took in the beauty of his surroundings. The sky had exploded into vibrant shades of orange and gold, a study of color made of the only purest pigment. Peach clouds dotted the horizon, softening the roaring fire of the sun into a gentle warmth. The air was thick but clean, holding on to the last wisps of heat as it rippled gently through the grass flanking both sides of the road. Alex was lost in his awe, observing silently as the warm glow washed over him and Willie.

 _Willie._ Alex couldn’t stop looking at him: the way the sun turned his eyes to honey, the way his smile outshone the dying day. With the warmth that Alex felt being around him, Willie could be his own sun. Everything came easier with Willie: laughter, joy, vulnerability. Between exchanging childhood stories, singing along to old Elton John CDs, and debating the merits of good, old-fashioned Southern sweet tea, Alex couldn’t stop noticing the new lightness in his chest. The familiar tension that he always carried in his jaw had melted away and settled into a smile that never seemed to leave his face. Even though they were still miles away from Los Angeles, he couldn’t ignore how Willie made him feel like he was home.

It scared Alex how quickly he had opened himself up to Willie. He had always prided himself on the strength of his walls, towering like sentinels that silently guarded his innermost self. Aside from the guys, who had been by his side before he found out Santa Claus wasn’t real, he had long since decided that it was safest to keep his distance from anyone who tried to get too close. It was simply the logical conclusion to a long history of rejection: from his parents, from his old classmates, from the world. But now, as he sat in the passenger’s seat of Willie’s car, listening to him ramble on about how to make sweet tea more marketable outside of the South, something clicked in Alex’s chest. The gates of his walls hadn’t just opened: a wrecking ball had torn through the concrete he had spent years building. What scared him the most wasn’t how easily Willie had managed to obliterate his defenses: it was that Alex wanted him to.

As they drove on, mirages evaporating on the road just before they caught up to them, Alex did his best to keep his mind from spiraling around this new feeling. He drilled his focus into Willie’s ramblings, which had morphed into a categorical ranking of every commercial tea brand you could find at a gas station. The way Willie could turn any mundane thing into a passionate dissertation captivated Alex. He could talk for hours about a carton of expired milk in his fridge, and Alex would hang on to every word. It was easy to get lost in anything Willie said when he so easily brought every word to life.

Absorbed in conversation, Alex didn’t notice the darkening of the sky until it had already settled into a deep blue. The warmth of the evening buzzed with the sound of fireflies, whose glows competed for a spot among the stars. Exhaustion had finally caught up to him; his bones ached for the comfort of a real bed, his eyes growing heavier by the second. His mind, however, was still electrified, trains of thought zipping past each other in blurs. Everything moved so quickly, he felt like he had lived an entire week in sixteen hours. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the trains to slow down, or the seconds to speed up.

The pair had almost reached Little Rock when Willie pulled off the highway in search of sleep, drifting into the small town of Lonoke. He gently pulled the car into the parking lot of a Days Inn, its marquee sign holding on to life as it flickered. Willie cut the ignition and rubbed his face with his hands, trying to drain the tension building up behind his eyes. Alex made a mental note to offer to drive tomorrow.

A single woman stood behind the check-in desk, her eyes sunken and sallow. She looked up as Alex and Willie entered through the automatic doors, annoyed that she had to do her job during an otherwise dead night. “Good evening,” she sighed, “how may I help you two?”

“Hi, ma’am, we’d like a room for just tonight,” Willie said, still cheerful despite the long drive. The concierge, however, was impervious to his good nature.

“Two beds?” she asked, click-clacking away at her computer.

“Uh, yes,” Alex blurted out, his hands balled into fists in his pockets. He glanced briefly over at Willie, who caught his gaze before he could look away. A warmth crept up Alex’s cheeks.

“We’ve got one room available,” the woman said, “it’ll be $80 for the night.”

Alex reached into his back pocket for his wallet, but Willie was quicker. Before Alex could even retrieve his credit card, Willie had placed $80 in cash on the desk.

“Willie, you don’t have to pay for it all,” he said, his voice low and quiet.

“It’s okay, Alex,” Willie said, shrugging, “I really don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked. He didn’t want to seem like he was taking advantage of Willie, even though he didn’t have much money to offer in the first place.

“I’m sure,” Willie said, placing his hands on Alex shoulders and giving a gentle squeeze. “I want to.”

Alex knew he was blushing, and knew he couldn’t hide it either. “Thank you,” he said, looking Willie in the eye. He hoped Willie understood just how thankful he was.

The concierge placed two room cards on the desk, snapping Alex’s attention away from Willie. “Room 22,” she said, “it’s outside and to the left, fourth door down.”

“Thank you,” Alex said as they each took a card. He hiked his bag up on his shoulder as the pair followed the woman’s directions to their home for the night.

The room was sparse, but comfortable. Between the two beds stood a nightstand with a single lamp, its lampshade yellowed by time. A saggy blue armchair and a rickety desk sat in a corner, to the left of a set of dresser drawers whose handles were precariously loose. The bathroom was a porcelain closet, cream colored and yellowed by sneaky smokers, but sufficient enough for one night. Alex just thanked his lucky stars that the place was decently clean.

Willie threw his duffle bag on the far bed, letting Alex claim the other. He flopped down on his back onto the bed, his feet dangling off the edge. As his eyes examined the bumps in the popcorn ceiling, his stomach sank with a dreadful realization.

“Shit,” he muttered, bolting back upright.

“What’s wrong, man?” Willie asked, turning sharply from his bag.

“All of my luggage got on the plane without me,” Alex sighed, pressing his nails into his palms to try and keep his eyes from watering. “So I quite literally only have the clothes on my back.”

“Oh shit,” Willie said, his eyes widening. “Here,” he said, turning back to his bag to dig around. He emerged with a tie-dye t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants. “You can have these to sleep in.”

“Are you sure?” Alex said, guilt pressing on his chest. “You’ve already done so much for me.”

“Dude, it’s fine,” Willie said, his voice soft and pleading. He stepped closer to Alex, holding out the clothes. “I told you, I don’t mind. There’s a Walmart right down the street from here, how about tomorrow morning we go and get you stuff for the next few days?”

Alex wanted to burst into tears. A total stranger had shown him nothing but kindness on his worst day, and continued to show him kindness when he had nothing else to give in return. What had he done to deserve this? What could he do to repay him? Alex wanted nothing more than to give Willie a hug, to pull this stranger-turned-friend into his arms so he’d know just how thankful he was for him. Instead, he settled for words he had already tired out.

“Thank you,” he said, taking the clothes in his hands, “seriously. Thank you so much.” Willie moved his fingers to cover Alex’s as he held the clothes, sending a shiver through his nervous system.

“You’re welcome,” Willie said, looking at Alex with genuine goodness. He lingered for a moment, their hands still touching. Alex was the first to break, pulling back sheepishly as he looked down. Willie stepped back a bit, a small smile still on his face.

“You can use the bathroom first,” he said, gesturing towards the front of the room. Alex nodded graciously, turning on his heel and locking himself inside. He was alone, _truly_ alone, for the first time since this whirlwind day had started. He took a moment to breathe deeply, forcing his muscles to relax. Placing the borrowed pajamas on the counter, he shimmied out of his only clothes, picking them up to fold them and place them on the closed toilet seat. He knew he couldn’t shower while he only had one pair of underwear, so he’d have to do what he could to wash away the day in the sink. The warm water pooled in his hands as he collected it, bringing it to his face to scrub away the stains of sweat and tears. He was beyond thankful for the motel-provided toiletries; he reminded himself to grab them in the morning before they left.

Once he had finished his sink bath, he unfolded Willie’s t-shirt and slipped it over his head. The cotton was soft on his skin, the faint smell of laundry detergent woven into the cloth. After pulling on the pajama pants, Alex looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like absolute _shit._ Purple valleys had sunken beneath his eyes, and his bangs fell into his face no matter how many times he pushed them back. But despite the exhaustion that he wore, he couldn’t deny that he liked how he looked in Willie’s shirt. He secretly hoped that he wouldn’t have to give it back.

Willie looked up from his phone when he heard the lock click, giving Alex a once-over as he exited the bathroom. “You know,” he said, trapping the corner of his bottom lip between his teeth, “I think that shirt looks better on you than it does me.”

“What can I say,” Alex replied as he moved towards his bed, “I think pink is my color.”

“It definitely is,” Willie said, lightly touching Alex’s waist as he walked past him to take his spot in the bathroom. Alex watched as the door shut behind him, his stomach rumbling with butterflies that he couldn’t force down. He turned down the bed and crawled in, his aching body sighing in relief as he sank into the mattress. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed sleeping in a real bed until now. If it weren’t for a nagging thought tugging at the wires in his brain, he could’ve collapsed into sleep right then.

Alex listened to the quiet rush of the tap coming from the other side of the bathroom door as he scrambled to quiet his mind. The realization of just how intimate sharing a room with someone he just met was starting to settle in his chest, his heart quickening its pace as his airways tightened. Strings of words flitted behind his eyes: words he wanted to say to Willie, but couldn’t put together in any way that made sense. He fiddled with the seam of the top sheet, trying to find an exit off this racetrack he was sending himself around.

Willie re-emerged from the bathroom shortly, his hair tied back with a scrunchie at the nape of his neck. He cut the overhead lights on the way to his bed, leaving only the soft yellow glow of the lamp between them.

“Goodnight, Alex,” he said, reaching over to switch the lamp off.

“Goodnight, Willie,” Alex replied, his eyes adjusting as the room was plunged into darkness. The silence was thick and heavy, sitting on his chest to push out all the air in his lungs. He knew he had to say what was on his mind now, before Willie had drifted too far off into sleep.

“Willie?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you help me?”

The silence returned for a moment, ready to suffocate Alex once again until it was chased out by the rustling of sheets. Willie had sat up in the bed, swinging his legs over the edge to face him, and he quickly mirrored his posture.

“I almost died a few years ago,” Willie started, his voice low. “I had a skateboarding accident. Got hit by a car on the street, neither of us were looking where we were going. My head hit the concrete so hard, I had a brain hemorrhage. There was a man who witnessed the accident, and he picked me up and carried me for seven blocks to the hospital. If that man, a total stranger, hadn’t decided to help me out of the kindness of his heart that day, the doctors wouldn’t have been able to stop the bleeding in time, and I would’ve died.” Willie licked his lips as he paused to clear his throat. “So once I had learned what happened, how a total stranger had saved my life, I promised the universe that I would pass that kindness on to someone else who needed help. As kind of a way to repay the gift I had been given.”

“Oh, God, Willie,” Alex breathed, “I’m so sorry.” He could not stop himself from reaching over and grabbing Willie’s hand.

“It’s okay,” Willie said, wrapping his fingers around Alex’s and giving a gentle squeeze. “I’m alive, and that’s what I’m most thankful for. But when I saw you sitting in that Denny’s, alone and crying, I knew that you needed help. I knew that you were the promise I made when I woke up.”

The two sat in silence again, this one more comfortable than the last. Alex’s thumb absentmindedly began to rub the back of Willie’s hand as he tried to find the right words to say.

“I know I’ve probably said this way too many times, but thank you,” Alex said finally. “I don’t know how to express how grateful I am for you, that you chose to help me of all people, but I hope you understand just how thankful I am.”

“I do,” Willie replied, his eyes meeting Alex’s in the dark. “Like I said, I want to do this. I want to help you.”

Alex smiled, giving Willie’s hand another gentle squeeze, as if through their connection he could project everything he was feeling right to him. “You know,” he said after a moment, “I had a near-death experience, too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Alex cleared his throat, his mind walking backwards through his memory to a night about a year and a half ago. “It was right before my band’s show at the Orpheum, the one that really put us on the map. After soundcheck, Luke, Reggie and I had gone to get street hot dogs. It was sort of a pre-show tradition of ours. These hot dogs were made out of the back of someone’s car, so honestly we were pretty stupid not to know better. But they hadn’t killed us before.” Alex chuckled half-heartedly in his hindsight. “But this batch was bad, I think they got contaminated with battery acid from the guy’s hood. I knew something was off, but I didn’t think much of it. Bobby was still inside the club, and if the girl he was flirting with hadn’t brutally rejected him, he wouldn’t have come outside when he did. He quite literally smacked the hot dogs out of our hands and immediately took us to the hospital. If he hadn’t come out when he did, we wouldn’t have made it.”

“Oh, man, that’s awful,” Willie said. “I’m glad you guys made it to the hospital in time.”

“Yeah, me too. It would’ve been a pretty stupid way to die,” Alex said. “Not the legacy I would’ve wanted to leave behind.”

“I mean, it could’ve been worse,” Willie said, “you could’ve died eating an even worse food, like choking on a brussel sprout or something.”

“That’s true,” Alex chuckled, “I’d much rather be killed by a hot dog than the worst vegetable on planet Earth.” Willie smiled in response, a small laugh escaping from his lips.

“I’m glad you’re alive,” Willie whispered.

“I’m glad you’re alive, too,” Alex replied. He looked down at their joined hands as Willie intertwined their fingers, heat rising in his body. His eyes flicked back up to meet Willie’s, knowing that he understood everything Alex could not find the words to say.

“We should get some sleep,” Willie said after a long moment.

“Yeah, definitely,” Alex agreed. Their hands untangled, and he immediately missed Willie’s touch.

“Goodnight, Hot Dog” Willie said as he crawled back under his covers.

“Hey, no fair, that’s how I almost died!”

“Too bad, it’s sticking.”

“You’re the worst,” Alex laughed, adjusting the pillow under his head. “Goodnight, Willie.”

Alex’s eyes fluttered shut as he immediately sunk into sleep, his buzzing and racing mind finally quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Charlie Gillespie if you're reading this... hmu. I just wanna be friends.
> 
> Thank you all so so much again for the comments and kudos and love! It makes me so happy to see you all enjoying this, like I'm just overwhelmed knowing that people actually read this and enjoy it. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I promise the bed sharing will be coming, y'all didn't think I'd just hand it to you right? 🤪 Just a heads up, it will probably be a bit longer between now and the next update, because ~life~. But I couldn't hold off on posting these sweet idiots being tender and soft. 
> 
> I hope you all have a wonderful day! All my love and thanks again and again!
> 
> xoxo, mo


End file.
